A Life for a Life
by sheepeater
Summary: "A life for a life has never been enough." ; a collection of Chapter 100-based drabbles
1. Death Comes in Pairs

**Title**: A Life for a Life

**Chapter/Title**: Death Comes in Pairs

**Category**: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga-verse)

**Word Count**: 68

**Characters/Pairings**: Roy, Riza; Royai-ish

**Summary**: A collection of Chapter 100-based ficlets/drabbles.

**Notes**: I've become addicted to Chapter 100 fanfiction, and soon you will be too. ;D

Title inspired by the below quote.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_. It is property of Arakawa Hiromu-sensei. The quote is said by Izumi Curtis and taken from the first _FMA _anime.

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_"A life for a life has never been enough."_

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Eyes pleading, she spoke three words that served to kill the both of them.

"Don't do it."

And the world went black...

_xxx_

For each person struck down, there is one left behind - never completely whole again, a shell of their former self.

_(Of the _someone _they used to be.)_

In a sense, still alive.

_(But really dead inside.)_

There is no such thing as a merciful death.

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_owari_

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**A/N**: Contrary to what this piece suggests, I do not believe she's dead (...yet?). Riza is one tough chick and won't go down so easily. Riza Hawkeye is a fighter and she will live on. Thank you.

Comments are very much appreciated.

Always,

Sora


	2. Unfair

**Title**: A Life for a Life

**Chapter Title**: Unfair

**Category**: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga-verse)

**Word Count**: 313

**Characters/Pairings**: Roy, Riza; Royai-ish

**Summary**: A collection of Chapter 100-based ficlets/drabbles.

**Notes**: Only vague references to Chapter 100.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_. It is property of Arakawa Hiromu-sensei. The quote is said by Izumi Curtis, and taken from the first _FMA _anime. There is another quote, within the text, also taken from the anime and said by Dante. Lastly, there's a slight _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland _reference.

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_"A life for a life has never been enough."_

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Life isn't fair. Nothing on this Earth is.

_But what of equivalent exchange?_ you may ask.

No more than...

_A myth, a contrived order, meant to give sense to a world that has none._

A man can work hard his entire life and still amount to nothing. He can give, give, give all he wants...but it doesn't mean he'll get anything in return. He can sacrifice all he has, pay any price, but there are still no guarantees. He can reach for the stars and catch nothing but thin air. That's just the way the world works. There's not a thing we can do to change it.

He'd learned that long ago.

And yet we has still surprised when _it _happened. He bet all his pieces, put everything at stake...and lost the gamble.

Let's just say it wasn't the Queen calling "Off with his head" this time 'round...

The pawns were all accounted for, but his most paramount piece was forfeited.

He shouldn't have ruled out that possibility.

_(He should have _expected _it.)_

For how does one conquer the supreme and absolute?

_(How did David strike down the mighty Goliath?)_

Simple. Go for his Achilles' heel. Every person, no matter how powerful and almighty they may seem, has a weakness.

To this day, he wonders what went wrong.

From that moment on, he vowed never to show such vulnerability to an enemy -or friend- again. Nothing and no one would ever best him for that same reason. _She _-the foremost person in his life- had already slipped from his grasp, right through his fingers. What more was there to take?

_(Nothing.)_

Not a single thing remained that meant even a minuscule fraction of what she had to him.

Life isn't fair, and that's just something we have to live with.

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_owari_

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**A/N**: That chapter really was epic, though. We had the GreedLing and Bradley fight wrapped up, Ed, Al, and their dad stuck in the Gate, Lan Fan finally showed up, and Buccaneer and Fu were both...on the wrong end of the sword we'll say... " Speaking of which, I really want to do a Fu tribute, but I have no idea what to write! D:

Comments are appreciated! :D

Always,

Sora(:


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